Machine for casting stereotype-plates.



C. WINKLER MACHINE FDR CASTING STEREOTYPE PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-12,1915.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

CQWZ @uaam 96 C. WINKLEH.

MACHINE FOR CASTING STEREOTYPE PLATES.

APPLICATIOW FILED FEB-12,1916.

0 m 6 1/ mm mm M a} w 5 M f w m W A M 2 d %W/ m a P CARL WINKLER, OF BERNIE, SWITZERLAND.

MACHINE FOR CASTING STEREOTYPE-PLATES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

Application filed February 12, 1916. Serial No. 78,052.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL Hunter, a citizen of Switzerlanc, residing at Berne, Switzerland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Casting Stereotype-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to an improved machine for casting stereotype plates. After having made a number of experiments extending over several years I have succeeded in constructing an apparatus in which a stereotype plate can be cast of such extreme accuracy, that, when taken out of the machine, it can be used immediately for printing without having to be specially prepared by planing, removing ap cndix, etc.

.lhe principal feature of the new machine is the instantaneous casting of the plate, that is to say, the molten metal runs into and fills the mold in the fraction of a second.

In order to obtain this instantaneous casting of the plate the machine must fulfil two conditions which are not. to be found in any existing machine:

(1) The outlet opening in the wall of the crucible through which the molten metal flows out. must coincide exactly with the inlet opening of the mold, that is to say no spout, tube or the like even of a few inches length can be provided between the crucible and mold.

(2) The inlet opening of the mold must occupy 'fully, or at least approximately, the entire area of one edge of the plate. In other words the outlet and inlet openings must have a width corresponding with the thickness and must have a length corresponding with the length or width of the plate, according as to which edge 1s chosen as inlet. Experiments show that it is preli crable to choose the outlet opening of the crucible and the inlet opening of the mold of the same size as the long edge of the plate. so that the metal in running into the mold flows in the direction of the width of the plate. But still much better results over existing machines are also obtamed even when said outlet and inlet openings are arranged in the width of the plate.

The impact produced by this extremely sudden filling of the mold under the entire head of the molten metal in the crucible and in the entire length and thickness of the edge of the plate is so great that the air in the mold is forced out, as shown by the peculiar whistling sound produced, and the plate has a quite homogeneous structure, as if cast under hydraulic pressure. It will be evident therefore that by the instantaneous casting not only all defects produced by the presence of air in the mold, but also all porosity produced by chemical action during the casting operation in existing apparatus are completely avoided as shown by the plates produced. The instantaneous or sudden filling of the form enables the use of molten metal of lower temperature than hitherto, because there is no possibility of the temperature of the metal varying while llowing into the mold as in existing apparatus.

Another very important advantage 0btaincd by the instantaneous filling of the mold by the flow of metal in the entire thickness and length of its edge is that owing to the impact the metal fills the finest crevices of the matrix and thus renders the plate quite perfect in all details. This result is also obtained when a much harder metal is used than was heretofore possible. For example type metal can be employed which has the property of solidifying much more quickly than soft metal. Every expert will at once understand the great advantage obtained by being able to use hard metal.

In order to obtain the instantaneous casting of the metal it is necessary to avoid a cock casing between the crucible and mold, and the cock plug required to supply the molten metal to the mold is accordingly arranged inside the crucible, so that the wall of the crucible forms the casing in which the plug turns and this formsanotherimportant feature of my invention. The channel in the cock plug enables the metal to flow into the mold without re istance and by being kept open for some short time after the mold is full it allows the metal in the crucible to make up for the drop which takes place when the plate begins to solidify, so that the metal in the crucible serves every useful purpose of the appendix heretofore cast with each plate in order to assure that the top edge of said plate is of the same quality as the rest of the plate.

In machines for casting stereotype plates such an immediate connection between the crucible and mold is new. For casting tinners solder andsuch like a crucible has been adapted to slide on a mold plate, the molten metal passing out of the crucible immediately into the mold. In this known arrangement however the crucible and fire cover one whole side of the mold and this arrangement renders it impossible for the cast metal to begin to solidify until the crucible has been removed for some distance from the mold, and, as a consequence, the drop of the metal in the mold, which only takes place 7 when the metal begins to solidify, cannot be iii? made up for by a corresponding subsequent flow of metal from the crucible. It would therefore be impossible to use this known machine for casting accurate stereotype plates on which the matter to be printed extends up to the top edge of the plate and an appendix would in any case have to be pro vided for obtaining a good top edge, which appendix would have to be subsequently cut oil.

Further, the sliding arrangement of the crucible on the mold plate could not be used for a crucible containing any considerable weight oi metal, because the metal would penetrate between the crucible and mold plate and practice shows that it would never be possible to prevent this. The hot metal is of so extremely thin consistency and so heavy that it can only be prevented from escaping through two surfaces bearing one against the other when said surfaces are round in and conical, as in the case of a coo plug.

Another feature of the invention is that the matrix is only fastened to the mold along the edge adjacent to the inlet, and is tree at the other three edges. The result is, that the matrix, under the sudden impact produced by the metal flowing into the mold inits entire width, is evenly pressed against the wall of the mold, so that no bulging or stretching of same can take place.

In'the drawing one construction of the invention is shown by way of example.

Figure 1 being a vertical section of a crucible with which two molds for semi-circular plates are combined.

. Fig. 2 shows a section. through a mold with the matrix fastened at one ed e.

Fig. 3 is a corresponding longitu inal section'through the lower part of the mold.

Fig. 4. is a diagrammatic view of the out- I let openingof the crucible 1 in regard to a plate arrangedin the mold with its longest ed e as inlet. I

ig. is a diagrammatic view of said plate.

Figs. 6 and 7 are views corresponding to Figs. 4c and 5 for a plate arranged with. its width as inlet opening.

T he crucible 1 may have any suitable shape in plan and is provided with a jacket 2 to prevent the heat from being wasted. The bottom 3 of the crucible has an arched form and underneath the same is disposed the grate 4 on which burns the fire for melting the metal in the crucible 1. The furnace door isvprovided on the front side while a flue isprovided at the back for carr ing ofi' smoke and other products of combustion. As these parts are not part of the invention and may be of any suitable construction they are not shown 1n the drawing, only the door 5 being indicated in Fig. 1.

In the wall of the crucible at 6 the cock plugs 7 are provided, said plugs being ground in tightly. The bores are closed on the outside by the plates 8 forming part of the wall of the crucible, the openings 9 in which plate form the outlets of the crucible. These openings have a width corresponding to the thickness oftheplates to be cast and extend over the entire length of their adjacent edges.

The cope 10 of the mold is fixed to the carriage 11, which is slidably supported on the bed 12 and can be moved toward and away from the crucible 1. The carriage 11 is provided with surfaces 13, 14, on which the roll 15 and 16 carried bythc drag 17 of the mold run. By moving the drag 17 when it is in the osition shown on the left of Fig. 1 toward t e column 18 carrying the crucible 1 the rolls 15, 16 are so guided by the surfaces 13, 14, that said drag 1s brought into the osition shown onthe right of F ig,

1, in which the drag and cope are so close together that the space between them forms the mold intowhich the molten metal from the crucible 1 is to flow. By then moving the carriage 11 from the position shown on the left of Fig. 1 into the position shown on the right of said figure the opening 19 of the mold is caused to register with the opening 9 in the wall 8 of the crucible 1. Ifthen the cock plug 7 is turned from the closed position shown on the left of Fig. 1 into the open positionshown on the right the molten metal in the. crucible 1 will quite suddenly fill the mold, and it will be clear from the construction described that this must take place in the fraction of a second, the molten metal entering through the inlet 19 drivin I .out the air in the mold, like a piston, an

producing an impact, which gives the plate the appearance of being cast under pressure. Further it will be clear that thisimpact will cause the molten metal to fill out the finest parts of the matrix, thus enabling cast stereotype plate to be used for purposes for which heretofore only galvanic plates flhat I claim and desire to secure by Lettors Patent of the United States is 1. T he described machine for casting stereotype plates without an appendix comprising in combination, a mold having the shape of the plate to be cast and provided with an inlet opening corresponding approximately'in Width and length with the size or the corresponding edge of said plate, a crucible having an outlet opening in its Wall of a Width corresponding approximately in size With the opening in said I mold and means tobring said openings into register With each other, substantially as,

and for the purpose, set forth.

"2. The described machine for casting stereotype: plates Without an appendix com prising in combination, a mold having the shape of the plate to be cast and rovided with an inlet"open-ing corresponring approximately in Width and length with the size of the correspo nding edge of said plate, a crucible having an outlet opening in its "Wall of a Width correspomling approximately in size with the opening in said mold, a cock-plugprovided in the Wall of said crucible inside said outlet opening, and

means to bring said openings into register with each other, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.

The described machine forcasting stereotype plates Without an appendix comprising in combination, a mold having the shape of the plate to be cast and provided with an inlet opening corresponding ap-q' proximately in Width and length with the size of the corresponding edge of said plate, a crucible having an outlet opening in its wall of a width corresponding approximately in size with the opening in said mold, a cock-plug provided in the Wall of said crucible inside said outlet opening, means to bring said openings into register with each other, means to fasten said matrix along the edge adjacent to the inlet opening, and means to guide the remaining edges of the matrix, substantiall as, and for the purpose, set forth.

l. A machine for castin stereotype plates without any appendix, comprising in combination, a mold having th shape of the plate to be forme and provided with an inlet opening at one edge of about the thickness of the plate to be cast and of a length to assure a quite instantaneous filling of the mold, a crucible having an opening in its Wall of a width corresponding at least approximately with the thickness of the plate and having a length to accord approximately wilh the inlet opening of the mold, and means to bring the edge of the mold provided with the inlet opening against the Wall of the crucible and to remore same, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth. 7

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. CARL WINKLER. V/itncsses:

O. i'lUEnBAoi-ncn, M. Tsn'rsonmonn. 

